A travel agency has compiled a ranking of best countries for couples on their gay honeymoon. The Latin America Travel Company evaluated global destinations according to six LGBT-focused criteria, each graded out of five points, to determine a country’s LGBT Honeymoon Ranking.
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No country scored the top mark of 30 points, but two came very close. Canada and New Zealand top the ranking, each of them scoring top marks for the criteria honeymoon popularity, LGBT travel friendly, marriage equality, forward thinking and romantic setting.

The ranking only included countries that have decriminalised homosexuality, which remains illegal in more than 70 countries or territories around the world.

No Asian country was included in the ranking, despite the recent decriminalisation of homosexuality in India, and only one country in the African continent, South Africa, made the list of best countries for gay couples on honeymoon.

Argentina topped the list for destinations in South America. “We were thrilled to see Argentina rank in the top 20,” commented the travel agency responsible for the ranking, which specialises in travels to Latin America.

With the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, a new crop of honeymooners has entered the market. The travel industry has positioned itself to capitalize, having recently launched several targeted marketing campaigns featuring gay couples, including Hotwire’s “Lucky Me” commercial, Airbnb’s #HostWithPride film, and Marriottt’s Love Travels campaign.

But with gay marriage fully legal in just 20 countries – and homosexuality illegal in 75 — gay newlyweds face extra hurdles in deciding where to celebrate their nuptials. Many feel compelled to research discrimination laws before making overseas travel plans. In fact, four out of 10 U.S. LGBT travelers said local discriminatory laws and homophobic sentiments affect where they decide to fly “to a great extent,” according to a survey by LGBT marketing group Out Now. As one lesbian couple expressed in Airbnb’s #HostWithPride film, “For our honeymoon, I don’t want to be attacked. We want to be able to express our love, and be able to be affectionate, and feel comfortable and safe.”

But are such fears founded? Certainly, in some nations around the world, including popular honeymoon destinations, local LGBT people are harassed, arrested and even killed with impunity. But for Americans, these threats are minimal. Both the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association and the International Gay and Lesbian Alliance have no reports of gay American honeymooners being assaulted during international travel. Even the U.S. State Department, which posts warnings for LGBT travelers, has little evidence of such incidents.

The ‘Out Now Global LGBT2020 Study’ shows 73% of respondents said that the position of local LGBT people affected where they spend their holiday – 36% to a great extent and a further 37% to a moderate extent.

LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) tourists are choosing not to travel to countries where the local LGBT communities do not enjoy equal legal rights, says new research from LGBT consulting firm Out Now Global released this week at World Travel Market.

The ‘Out Now Global LGBT2020 Study’ shows 73% of respondents said that the position of local LGBT people affected where they spend their holiday – 36% to a great extent and a further 37% to a moderate extent.

At the end of March I was shocked to learn that two gay men from an Atlantis Cruise had been arrested in the Caribbean island of Dominica. The local authorities must have known it was a “gay cruise line” before it docked, which led me to question why, having allowed several hundred gay men into their country, they then decided to arrest two of them.

The answer came a few days later when photos of the couple in question emerged, showing them butt-naked, on their balcony, in plain view of everyone on and around the pier, in flagrante delicto. “Well, what did you expect?” was my response.

As someone who has travelled to more than 150 countries, I am used to treating State Department travel advisories with a pinch of salt. I’ve been to dozens of countries where homosexuality is illegal, and where our government warns people not to go. Through common sense, I’ve managed to enjoy my visits. I’ve only ever been arrested once, and that was for entering a country without a valid visa. It had nothing to do with being gay.